“The Baddy” returns to action this weekend (Sat., July 11, 2026) at UFC 329 opposite Benoit Saint-Denis in a pivotal Lightweight matchup that could help decide the next title challenger. It will be Pimblett’s first bout since losing to “The Highlight” back in January, but it’s fair to say that loss has aged well. Pimblett stood toe-to-toe with Gaethje for five full rounds, whereas his longtime rival Ilia Topuria was stopped at the end of the fourth (highlights here).
Debatably, Pimblett had the stronger performance versus the current champion, which makes it a little surprising that Gaethje still firmly believes that Topuria would beat up the English star. While speaking with Shakiel Mahjouri at the 2026 UFC Hall of Fame event, Gaethje broke down both fighters and offered his thoughts on the potential matchup.
“Ilia is one of the best in the world,” Gaethje began. “He’s one of the most dangerous fighters that there is and he’s a lot more dangerous than Paddy Pimblett. However, Paddy Pimblett is goofy. He’s got a funky style, not goofy in a bad way. Being goofy is such an asset. He’s really hard to hit, really long. He moves in weird angles and at different times. That throws you off and that’s why he has success.”
Gaethje continued, “I think Ilia is way more dangerous. Fighting is crazy. In my mind, 97 out of 100 times, Ilia beats him up.”
Obviously, Pimblett has a serious challenge on his hands with Saint-Denis, but a Topuria vs. Pimblett booking could be massive, as they’re two of the brightest newer stars on the roster. Add a bit of bad blood and the story of Topuria trying to rebound from his first career loss, and it could easily make for one of the year’s most marquee main events.
If and when it happens, we’ll see what happens when “dangerous” battles “goofy.”
